| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
Double Jeopardy
Lord Milner of Leeds asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What are the terms of reference for the Law Commission's review of the law on double jeopardy.[HL3471]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Williams of Mostyn): Following the recommendation in the Report on the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, my right honourable friend the Home Secretary has today formally asked the Law Commission to undertake a review of the law on double jeopardy. The terms of reference for this review are:
"To consider the law of England and Wales relating to double jeopardy (after acquittal), taking into account:
- recommendation 38 of the Macpherson Report on the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry that consideration should be given to permit prosecution after acquittal where fresh and viable evidence is presented;
- the powers of the prosecution to reinstate criminal proceedings;
- and also the United Kingdom's international obligations;
and to make recommendations".
Outstanding Asylum Applications
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many applications for asylum lodged before 1 July 1993, and between 1 July 1993 and 31 December 1995, respectively, remain to be decided.[HL3187]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The information requested is given in the table.
| Applications | Number |
| Applications lodged before July 1993 | 3,975 |
| Applications lodged from July 1993 to December 1995 | 16,180 |
(9) Estimates rounded to the nearest five.
It is intended that the applications made before July 1993 be cleared by September 1999 and those lodged between July 1993 and December 1995 by April 2000.
Viscount Brentford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: In 1996 the average time from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders was 142 days. The Government are committed to halving this by no later than March 2002. Progress so far is encouraging; the average had dropped to 106 days by December 1998. Work continues, in particular through extensions of local fast tracking schemes and the expected nationwide introduction this autumn of new case management provisions.
Viscount Brentford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Whilst national performance so far has been encouraging we are concerned that some areas appear to be taking longer to deal with cases. Together with the Youth Justice Board we plan to explore the reasons in more detail with the local youth justice services. We will look at the effect individual cases can have on the averages for particular areas and the operation of and need for improvement in local fast tracking schemes.
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The available information is given in the following table.
(10) Unaccompanied at the point of their arrival, excluding those known to be joining a close relative in the United Kingdom.
(11) Figures are provisional.
(12) In-country applicants only.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg): The Government will implement those Law Commission recommendations that it accepts when parliamentary time allows. The Government are also considering ways of finding a better match between the Law Commission's work and the Government's priorities for legislation.
By what date they expect to achieve their pledge to halve the time from arrest to sentence of persistent young offenders to 71 days.[HL3268]
Why in some police force areas the average number of days from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders has increased between 1997 and 1998.[HL3269]
How many unaccompanied children reached the United Kingdom seeking asylum in each of the last 12 months; and whether they can state their countries of origin.[HL3274]
1998(11) 1999(11) 1998-99(11)
Nationality Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Total
Afghanistan 6 4 11 10 11 13 13 12 14 13 11 9 127
Albania 2 3 4 5 5 7 5 4 3 4 5 8 55
Algeria 4 1 5 6 -- 1 3 1 -- 2 1 2 27
Angola -- 1 -- 2 2 1 -- 1 1 -- -- 4 12
Bangladesh -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 3
Belarus 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2
Bosnia-Herzegovina -- -- -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2
Burundi -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- 1 -- 1 1 3 7
China 25 39 36 44 31 12 8 17 12 18 7 15 264
Colombia -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2 1 2 1 2 8
Democratic Republic of Congo 1 1 4 6 -- -- 1 -- 2 2 5 2 24
Cyprus -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1
Czech Republic 1 -- 1 -- 1 1 -- -- 1 -- 1 2 8
Ecuador -- -- -- -- -- 2 -- -- 1 1 -- -- 4
Eritrea 3 6 2 6 15 8 13 3 10 8 8 5 87
Ethiopia 2 6 5 5 6 11 6 15 6 7 4 3 76
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 96 84 193 325 262 139 139 86 59 75 66 70 1,594
Ghana -- -- 1 -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- 2
Guinea -- 1 -- -- -- -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- 3
India 1 -- -- 3 2 -- -- 1 -- 3 1 1 12
Indonesia -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2 1 -- 1 1 5
Iran 2 -- -- -- -- 1 1 1 1 -- 1 -- 7
Iraq -- 1 3 2 2 3 3 7 4 9 3 2 39
Jamaica -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- 3
Kenya 3 -- -- 1 -- 1 4 -- 1 1 -- 3 14
Latvia -- -- -- -- 1 -- 1 -- 2 -- -- 1 5
Lebanon -- 1 1 -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- 1 4
Liberia -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1
Lithuania 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 3 3 -- 1 17
Macedonia -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Moldova 1 1 -- -- -- 2 -- -- 1 -- -- -- 5
Nigeria 3 2 1 3 4 1 -- 1 -- 4 3 3 25
Pakistan 2 -- 2 1 1 -- -- 3 2 1 1 1 14
Poland 2 5 -- 2 4 2 9 6 4 2 1 4 41
Romania 7 9 5 13 4 7 2 3 4 13 1 5 73
Russia -- -- -- 1 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2
Rwanda -- 1 1 1 -- 4 -- 1 2 4 2 1 17
Sierra Leone 2 2 3 1 -- -- 3 2 1 4 2 6 25
Slovakia -- -- -- 1 -- 4 3 -- -- -- -- -- 8
Somalia 12 6 9 15 20 10 16 17 12 19 14 14 164
Sri Lanka 9 7 10 11 9 9 5 6 8 8 10 5 97
Sudan -- 1 -- 1 -- -- 1 1 -- 1 -- -- 5
Tanzania -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- 1 -- -- 1 3
Turkey 1 5 5 12 13 24 12 14 13 11 7 5 122
Uganda -- 1 1 2 3 -- -- -- -- 1 -- 1 9
Former USSR (unspecified) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Vietnam -- 1 1 1 2 1 -- -- -- -- -- 1 7
Former Yugoslavia (unspecified)(12) 1 2 1 4 2 -- -- -- 9 4 1 4 28
Stateless Palestine -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1
Other nationalities 4 4 1 4 3 6 6 7 3 3 2 1 44
Nationality unknown -- -- 1 -- 2 1 1 4 2 3 2 1 17
Total 193 201 309 492 406 274 259 215 182 224 161 188 3,104
What measures they will take to give effect to the recommendations of the Law Commission for England and Wales, as set out in its 33rd Annual Report, to take measures to address the backlog in
5 Jul 1999 : Column WA78implementing the Commission's recommended reforms.[HL3212]
Back to Table of Contents
Lords Hansard Home Page